I have zero tolerance of biting, whatever the reason, whether it be frustration or temper, I think it is unacceptable.

I remember many years ago when my eldest daughter bit her friend whilst on a play date, I was mortified. I will openly admit that I was very happy sitting on my moral high ground thinking that my daughter would never be "that" child, so I apologised profusely and in my fury, almost dragged my daughter down the stairs and frog marched her to the car and home.

She sobbed. Alot.

She never bit anyone ever again and her little friend will say to this date, some 4 years later, "that we don't bite because Auntie Donna doesnt like it" I think I must have made my point.

I always knew that she had bitten in frustration because she was the petite one, the cute one, the little one and she never had size or strength to win in an argument, so whilst I understood it still didnt mean I was more tolerant. Biting is something that children need to learn is unacceptable.

So fast forward 4 and a half years, right up to this morning when my youngest daughter was trying to move me out of the way and she bit me!

I squealed. Alot.

I looked down with a mixture of amazement and horror. Had my one year old really just bitten my leg? The bruise on my thigh confirms this to be true. I was gobsmacked. She has never been the petite or the little one (she is very cute though), so whilst I understood her inability to ask me to move but biting is unacceptable. She got sat down on the floor.

She cried. Alot.

Trying to instill discipline into a small child that has no concept that she may actually be hurting you is difficult. I am a firm believer in boundaries and discipline but at 14 months old, she isnt going to understand the naughty step or time out but I love this idea I found online. A woman wrote that she used this idea and it is so simple: "My daughter would bite when she was angry, sad...anything. I would look at her in the face after the bite and calmly say, "We don't bite. We HUG." I think this is lovely and whilst I hope that I dont have another biting experience, I can cope with a hug too.

We like hugs. Alot.

 

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Everyone loves Frankie and Bennys dont they? Its a fabulous old fashioned family diner style experience so when they told us that they were launching a new cocktail menu, we were delighted at the chance to try it. Let be honest, being a mum can be a juggling act between cooking family meals, getting kids ready for school and running the house, plus often working a full time job, it’s easy to see how many mums never get any "me" time. So we were told that Frankie & Benny’s has launched its new cocktail menu to encourage mums to take time out and sip on a delicious cocktail.  Sounded almost like a challenge to me!

The new cocktail menu has something for everyone, including non alcoholic cocktails ( which I hasten to add we didn't try as felt it would be a little insulting .... that's my excuse anyway!)

Anyone that knows me, laughs that I love a cheeky martini, so it was almost predicatable that I would go for the French Martini. The menu tells me that it is the ultimate in chic (a little like me then - ahem), a pink and frothy concoction comprising of Eristoff vodka, Chambord black-raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice. It wasnt a strong drink, it was refreshing and VERY moreish, which wasnt ideal at lunchtime!!

My gorgeous other half indulged with a Long Island Iced Tea, which was a combination of Eristoff vodka, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Jose Cuervo tequila and triple sec shaken with fresh lemon juice and sugar, lengthened with Coca Cola. As a result of a bad experience with tequila during my mis-spent youth, I couldnt think of anything worse than a drink with tequila in it but he said it was delicious.

The majority of the cocktails are reasonably priced around £4.95 and my only complaint about the whole experience? That I had no one to look after the children so we could spent the rest of the afternoon and evening tasting the whole cocktail menu!

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The little fish was returning to the water this week, after half term, so Nanny was excited that she was finally going to get to use her goggles and see the little one swim under water. Unfortunately the little fish has had her MMR injections and has not been amused ever since. As most parents know, the MMR is three separate vaccines, and each one can exhibit different side effects which can then occur at different times. We are always reassured that side effects are mild and from a parents perspective, I am always mindful that the side effects are milder than the potential complications of measles, mumps and rubella. The side effect in our house however has been general grouchiness!!

So did we go swimming ....? Of course we did!

We checked with Water Babies and they say that as long as the doctor is fine with it, so are they. They tell us that they "have had many babies who’ve done doctors in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, with no problems whatsoever. In fact it could even be a bonus, with the warm water acting as a tonic should their arm or leg be feeling a little stiff by then".

Unfortunately the only worry that Nanny had with regards to arms or legs was them being wrapped around her so tightly that there was more clinging than swimming this week. As usual the Water Babies instructor was fabulous but in the end agreed that the little fish was too fractious to swim underwater during this session (much to Nanny's dismay).

So with all the crying and drama, due to injections rather than swimming this week, I think Nanny needed ear plugs rather than goggles!! Maybe next week Mum!!

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I am not a fan of a dummy or a soother. There, I said it.

Opinion is genuinely divided over the use of dummies, as a breast feeding advocate I was always worried about creating confusion with the soother and I personally feel that you get to learn the different cries if you dont instantly use a dummy. This is not to say that I dont totally understand why parents use them and why some health professionals recommend the use of them. A friend of mine asked me why I didnt use one as her health visitor encouraged her to think about it as a "soother" and why wouldnt she want to use one to soothe her baby? (insert onslaught of mummy guilt here)

I genuinely believe that babies react to the cues and comforts that we provide, whatever they maybe, whether that is a dummy, a special toy or a comfort blanket.

We all need and take comfort in different ways and me choosing not to give my children a dummy or a soother doesnt make me harsh, it just makes me a mum with an opinion.

They can take comfort with me.

What comforts you?

 

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