Category: Views & Ramblings

1. New Year : New Projects : How to update a room in 5 easy steps

   Posted on 9:40pm Monday 19th Jan 2015

   The new year always brings the need to clean, declutter and refresh. I don't necessarily subscribe to the New Year : New You philosophy but I do like the idea of starting the new year afresh.

   I would really like a new kitchen but sometimes I have to reel myself in and realise that my cooking skills don't necessarily need a mitchelin star grade work space, although some new pots and pans  wouldn't go amiss after having mine for (ahem) some years. Buying new saucepans and a few accessories can't necessarily help my cooking skills but changing a few little things in the kitchen, or indeed any room in the house can make a massive difference. So here are my 5 top tips for achieving a new look in 5 easy steps.

   1. Choose a colour palette that the whole family can agree on. (unless you take the toddlers advice who wants everything pink). It is good to get the buy in from everyone (there is a method in this madness, trust me). Go and buy paint, talking about it is great but once you have bought the paint, it will sit there and look at you until you give in and put it on the walls.

   

   2. Don't wear clothes that you may want to wear again, ever. This is just a small word of advice when you have small children "helping" with the decorating.

   3. Buy enough paint brushes so everyone can get involved. However, expect small children to take a different view of painting to you. <insert smiley face>

   

   4. Make sure you have covered everything you don't want covered in paint with a suitable dust sheet (before you start number 3). Again this is especially prevalent when you have a toddler assisting you.

   5. Look despairingly at husband when toddler has created smiley faces all over the wall and ask if he can take over with the tween, while you take the toddler for a bath!

   

   Job done!

   Would you add any handy hints?

   

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2. Don't judge me on my parenting ....

   Posted on 6:13am Friday 16th Jan 2015

   Please don't judge me on my parenting. Not today. 

   We were having dinner with some friends and friends of theirs joined us, as the meals were served, I got out my phone and put it in front of the toddler to distract her while she ate. I held my breath slightly waiting for the disproving looks from everyone round the table to tell me silently that I should be teaching my child to eat properly without the need for distraction only to feel relived when another Mum looked over and simply said "I am so glad we are not the only ones that do that".

   It made me realise that people do make judgements every single day and we expect our parenting to be critised by anyone who has ever considered having a child, those that don't, let alone those who have been there and got the t-shirt. Somedays I feel like saying .....

   Please don't judge me today for letting my child have chocolate, you don't know that she has been unwell and hasn't eaten much. I am just glad that she is eating something.

   Please don't judge me today for using a Disney Princess umbrella on the school run today, honestly .... I have no clue where my umbrella is (it wasn't on today's priority list) and anyway the little one was delighted to be huddled up together under the pink brolly.

   Please don't judge me today for wearing a glittery clip in my hair ..... look at the fishtail plait in my oldest daughters hair or the miracle of two small pigtails in the toddlers hair .... they look super cute. Just don't look at me.

   Please don't judge me today for telling my daughter to play with her friends at soft play. I want to help her develop her social skills (and I would really like to drink a cup of hot chocolate while it is still hot). (oh and did I mention that I was at soft play, I deserve a wine!).

   Please don't judge me today for staying with my toddler until she falls asleep, she has asthma and controlled crying is not an option. (I also worked hard today and I sometimes just want to grab those extra minutes with her).

    

   So please don't judge me today. I am doing the best job I can.

   Do you feel judged today?

    

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3. Lets go fly a kite? #countrykids

   Posted on 9:26pm Saturday 10th Jan 2015

   Ever since she heard the song "let's go fly a kite", my youngest daughter has wanted a kite. 

   She asked Father Christmas for one. He let her down (naughty Santa).

   The song is on one of her CD's in the car and she gets a little grumpy face every time it comes on and looks at me with sad eyes (nothing like a guilt trip from a toddler eh?).

   However, Mommy and Daddy to the rescue and we managed to get a kite just in time for the windiest weekend in some little while. So we wrapped up warm and walked over to the fields opposite our house to go and fly a kite.

   

   The toddler was excited, Daddy was more than a little excited too and we were all beyond excited when we got it flying in the sky.

   Up

   Up

   Up it went.

   

   We let her hold her kite by her herself ...... I however had to hold on to her for fear of her blowing away.

   

   I can't remember flying a kite as a child.

   I will however remember the absolute delight on her face today and I hope that she will remember how much fun we had. The kite wasn't expensive but it was priceless to see how much she enjoyed being outside. Unlike me, she is happy to be outside whatever the weather and I suspect it won't be the last time the kite comes out and it goes up in the atmosphere, up where the air is clear ......

   When was the last time you flew a kite?

   

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4. Don't always believe what you hear!

   Posted on 9:57pm Wednesday 7th Jan 2015

   Do you remember the life lessons your parents tried to instill into you? My mum told me that I shouldn't always believe everything I hear, especially when you are not sure of what you are listening to.

   As a child, I remember singing along at the top of my voice to Paul Young in my parents car,

   "Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of meat with you."

   Meat? Because Paul Young was clearly a butcher?

   I recall my mum bursting into laughter and telling me to listen more carefully.

   Fast forward 30 or so years and I am driving my car while my tween sings along to Taylor Swift, Blank Space. She sung:

   "Tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain,

   calling all those Starbucks lovers"

   Here is the song, what do you hear?

   These are clearly not the right words, so I had to talk to my friend Mr Google and find out the actual lyrics and it appears that we were not the only people singing the wrong words. According to Metro Lyrics, our ears pick up what the artist says, but our own brains interpret what we hear based on our own experiences and what we picture happens next. 
   
   

   So the real words are "Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane" , well this song has driven me insane this week and I go from singing Starbucks Lovers, to the real words, depending on what I am hearing at the time.

   So my mom may have had a point all those years ago, you shouldn't always believe what you hear!

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