Monkey loves helping to cook at the moment. He loves putting his pinny and on and it is generally Daddy who he helps in the kitchen while I am looking after Little Miss. They have done all sorts, Monkey is learning to peel and chop vegetables and he is fascinated by “fire” (the hob) though he knows to stay well back from it, and the oven. He just wants to “have a look see!”
Yup we have been doing more Christmas Toddler Crafts! This time involving pinecones and a load of glitter! Monkey loves a good nature walk, collecting all the bits and bobs and bringing them home ( I am regularly having to clear out a load of leaves and twigs from the conservatory!).
A while ago we collected some lovely pinecones with the idea of doing something fun with them around Christmas. Another lovely simple toddler craft… but with the potential of getting a little messy!
One of Monkey’s favourite things at the moment is playing hide and seek. He wants to do it all the time, every day, multiple times! there have been times I thought he was saying “Hi Mummy” but what he was actually doing was instructing me to “Hi” (hide) lol. If I tell him I am leaving the room for a minute I usually hear “hi” on my way out and see him scamper off somewhere to hide. Then when I come back in a little head pops up and shouts boo!
With the arrival of December we are well and truly embracing the Christmas spirit in our house and feeling festive! My mum made Monkey this fab advent calender and he is loving finding the number every day and eating a chocolate. The only trouble is reminding him it is just one a day hehe! We also got a gorgeous Christmas Tree from Pines and Needles last weekend which we had great fun decorating. (You can read our review here and find an offer code too!). We don’t normally put the tree up quite this early but Monkey is really happy we have! He’s actually a little obsessed with Christmas and asks about 50 times a day when Father Christmas is coming. He also wants to read his Christmas storybooks every night! Ooh it may be a long month ;).
Our little Monkey is in many ways a typical toddler. He tantrums, he shouts and has meltdowns. He is not a big fan of sharing and thinks everything is “my toy”. He is fussy about food, and well everything. “Don’t like that” & “Don’t want to” are frequent phrases in our house. Along with, of course “No!” even for things I know he wants (eye roll).
But, he also has the sweetest little nature and is so caring. I’ve made no secret of the fact that we have been struggling over the past few weeks. With Little Miss’s colic and reflux we have been really struggling with lack of sleep and just exhaustion. (This has actually, fingers crossed, touch wood, improved a lot this week, phew!) Unfortunately this hasn’t led to the best parenting of Monkey at times. I hold my hands up and admit that I have been a lot snappier with him and have raised my voice a lot more than I would like. Continue reading
Our Christmas crafting has begun! Monkey is hugely excited about Christmas this year, he loves seeing all the decorations in the shops and was running round one shopping centre shouting “Merry Christmas” to anyone and everyone!
I wanted to harness this excitement so we have been making some lovely Snowman Christmas Decorations.
It has been just over a month since Little Miss arrived and well and truly became part of our family. As gorgeous as she is though, life with a newborn can be really hard, and exhausting. For all parents to be, here is some of the things you should know about life with a newborn (and for those of you who are already parents, I wonder if this will ring any bells!)
I love Christmas and I love getting into the festive spirit. This year we are getting started nice and early with this fabulous Christmas tree from Pines and Needles.
I have always been a huge fan of real Christmas trees. I love the smell and there’s just something nice about having a real tree rather than an artificial one. There is also something really nice about going to choose a tree yourself. But, I have to be honest, that part has become more of a challenge now we have small children. Fitting the tree in the car along with said children is a bit interesting for one thing and then there is carving out the time to go and get the tree.
Pines and Needles, with their delivery service, take that hassle factor out of choosing a tree as they deliver them right to your doorstep. We chose a Nordman Fir, as the needles are softer than a “traditional” Christmas tree, and they drop less, which means less hoovering, a huge plus.
In all honesty we are having a bit of a rough time with Little Miss at the moment. Sadly she spends a lot of her life, and most of her awake time, screaming, and in pain. There is something different about the cry of a baby in pain. Tired cries are a bit whiney, hungry a bit demanding, uncomfortable a bit angry, and in pain is, to my ears, very shrill. It is horrible and draining to hear for hours on end when nothing you do seems to help. It is hard enough during the day but in the early hours of the morning, when you have been attempting to sooth your child for 2-3 hours it becomes unbearable.
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Monkey has always loved his arts and craft activities, and now he is that little bit older, his abilities and what he can achieve (with some help) have come on leaps and bounds. There are so many activities I want to try with him and so many things I want to make with him, but with a newborn who has colic, reflux and a possible allergy, my hands are sadly tied a bit more than I would like them to be and I am struggling to balance both of their needs. Thankfully Daddy loves doing things with Monkey and this weekend he stepped in to have a go at some Monkey & Daddy crafting :).