After having nearly 6 years of a lovely little boy, N is going through a nasty phase. I don’t think he realises he’s doing it, and from talking to people it sounds like lots of children go through it. But it’s really sad to be on the receiving end of some of the things he says. It’s strange having his personality transplant moving from nice child to nasty child. We’ve had it lucky so far with him. He’s generally been… Continue Reading “When a nice child becomes a nasty child”
I remember a friend telling me that having children makes you a lot more patient. I’d say I’ve definitely chilled out with regards to being less strict than I expected I’d be. But I don’t think my patience has improved. Especially not with driving. I do love driving. But didn’t want to drive at 17 like so many of my friends did. I was at boarding school for 6th form and then at university, so I wouldn’t have had any… Continue Reading “Do parents gain patience for driving after children”
When I was a girl, one of the chores we had to do was the drying up on a Sunday. Of course it was drying up minus dishwashers. We always fought over the best tea towels and one of my favourites was the Love Is…cartoon strip one. It was a cartoon of a little couple and a range of lines that showed what love is. It was started in the 1960s by New Zealander Kim Casali as little notes to… Continue Reading “What love is…when you have children”
Another year is almost over and it’s time we’re all making plans for the upcoming year. I have to admit that I don’t really do resolutions…or planning goals for the year. Because I know I’m unlikely to stop biting my nails after 30 odd years. And goals change so much, it’s enough that we have to do them for work. So I usually have broad aims. For the blog and social media, I’d like to have a better year than… Continue Reading “Round up of 2016 and looking forward to 2017”
N is a really talkative child. I wonder where he gets that from? Clue…it’s not the OH. But to find out information or to have a decent chat he’s got to be in the mood or in the right situation, usually tucked up in bed. Once N is talking though, the most innocuous chat or question can rapidly go off on a tangent into some complicated topic of politics, economics, environmental or social discussion. Not all of which is my… Continue Reading “Talkative kids and conversation tangents”
You’d think being a project manager in my current job would mean I have a perfect home organisation calendar system in place. Prior to having N, I only needed a paper diary and a wall calendar, and I never missed anything…birthday, anniversaries, events etc. But since having him, I find I need more than one thing to keep on top of things. Even so, I still forget birthdays. Mostly because I remember a couple of days before, mean to write… Continue Reading “Our family calendar system and plus other ideas”
We spend a lot of time going out and about. Well, just outside in general although I do admit that much of the time at home it’s N going out on the farm with his dad rather than me going out with him. We do spend a bit of time in the garden too. I also take N to lots of interesting places on day trips or longer visits. But sometimes simpler works just as well as a day out.… Continue Reading “Canal walks and chasing the combine harvester”
While it’s noticeable how much N loves his dad for certain things – bear hug cuddles, play fighting, going out and working on the farm, having a bath while his dad showers – motherhood is very different thanks to the mother and son relationship. Someone I know once said about her son ‘I’m never letting him go’. Maybe that’s a little strong given that one day they’ll be leaving home to study or work, having girlfriends or wives and moving… Continue Reading “Motherhood: the mum and son relationship”
Before we decided to try for a baby, our life probably looked quite odd from the outside. Having a farmer husband didn’t really change my independence and life much because he worked all hours of the day during the summer and in the winter was off long days shooting in some winter months. So I would dance 3 to 4 nights a week, work as normal, and then at weekends when he was working I’d catch up with friends, shop, see… Continue Reading “Creating a normal family life”
I’m not a fan of guns, I don’t have an urge to shoot them, but I appreciate that in the countryside they can be invaluable for pest control. Having said that, I have tried shooting a couple of times. Once when I was a girl guide, I went to a big jamboree when I was about 12, and part of the team games included either archery or shooting. I didn’t get to try out archery, but I did get to… Continue Reading “A first time target shooting – tin can fun”
